Lymphocyte May Be a Reference Index of the Outcome of Cancer Patients in COVID-19 Infection

Abstract

Background: The novel coronavirus (COVID-19)–infected pneumonia is an international concern as it spreads through human populations and across national and international borders.Methods: In this retrospective study, we consecutively included all cancer cases who had been identified as having a nucleic acid-confirmed COVID-19 infection from two designated hospitals in Wuhan, China. Non-cancer patients were also enrolled for comparison. The clinical data were gathered from the medical recordsfrom Jan 14 to March 12.Results: Among the 117 cancer patients infected with COVID19, the median age was 63 years and 48.7% were male. Male, hematologic cancer, dyspnea on admission, and anti-cancer therapy significantly increased the risk of death. The amounts of cytokines and immune cells were correlated with the outcomeofcancer patients infected with COVIP-19. However, high level of TNF-a, IL-2R, IL-6, IL-8 did not increase the risk of death in non-cancer patients. Moreover, IL-2R and IL-6 markedly decreased in cancer patients recovered from COVID-19.Conclusions: Cancer patients with COVID-19 were associated with high mortality (23.9%).The amounts of cytokines and lymphocytes could be utilized as the reference index in predicting the survival outcome of cancer patients with COVID-19.